“Buy one unit and try it” is a common starting point, but whether one unit is enough does not depend on the device itself. It depends on who uses it, where it sits, and how many people it has to see in a day.
1. Work out three numbers before choosing a model
The first number is the daily number of visits that need scanning. Not every visit needs 3D capture, so first separate out the visits that will actually go through consultation, design or comparison.
The second number is the time one patient occupies the device. The scan itself may take only a few seconds, but preparation, conversation, rescanning and exporting reports all take time. Scheduling should be based on the whole period from sitting down to leaving, not on scan duration alone.
The third number is the number of usable stations. Whether the device sits in the consultation area, a doctor's office or a dedicated capture room determines whether different roles can share it. Across floors or buildings, moving the device and queuing cancel out the convenience of the extra unit.
| Number to work out | How to estimate | Common bias |
|---|---|---|
| Daily scans | Visits × the share that need 3D capture | Counting every visit, which overestimates demand |
| Time per patient | Preparation + capture + rescanning + explanation + export | Looking only at scan duration, which underestimates queuing |
| Usable stations | Positions where the device can actually be placed and shared | Ignoring floors and patient flow, leaving the device idle |
2. One shared unit: which stage it suits
A single-unit setup is usually one device, one software license and one USB dongle. It suits institutions with modest scan volume where consultations and doctors can use it at different times. The question is not whether the unit is advanced enough, but whether it will get in the way.
If consultation peaks and surgery peaks overlap, a single unit becomes a bottleneck. In that case, adjust appointments or add a station, rather than expecting the device to “get a little faster”.
3. Multiple stations in one site: confirm the sync ports first
When several consultation rooms or floors need to work at the same time, the usual approach is to expand through sync ports. Sync ports are a paid value-added item, and each additional port set comes with a complete set of the same software version. The expandable number, concurrency method and network conditions need to be confirmed against the site and the contract.
Multiple stations are not the same as multiple scanners. If you only want to view data on another computer, ask the after-sales team about lighter options first, so a low-frequency need does not require a full port set. For how port and multi-station costs are allocated, see the budget breakdown.
4. Multiple sites: consistent definitions matter more than identical models
The most common problem at chain institutions is not too few devices, but inconsistent capture standards across sites: different models, different working distances and different makeup requirements leave data that cannot be compared across sites.
For multi-site deployment, unify at least three things: the capture procedure and posture requirements, the file naming rules, and the report template. Whether the model itself should be unified depends on each site's business mix and budget; if models differ, record the device information in the file.
5. When to add a second unit
These signals show that the bottleneck is already in the workflow: appointments have to be staggered around scanning, consultants and doctors compete for the same device, rescanning often slips to the next day, and carrying the device between floors becomes routine.
Conversely, if the device is idle most of the time, adding units will not improve anything. Optimize appointments, capture standards and the reporting process first, then decide whether capacity needs to expand.
6. Five questions to ask yourself before buying
- Will the scanning be done mainly by consultants or by doctors?
- Which room will the device be in, and does it need to be used across floors?
- Do several consultation rooms need to view the same patient's data at the same time?
- Should multiple sites share file naming and report templates?
- Will next year's growth come mainly from existing sites or from new ones?
Related pages: 3D selection advisor, procurement and service FAQ, MVS-P6, MVS-C6, MVS-800, 3D digital plastic surgery system.
This article describes product functions and processes and does not constitute medical advice; specific configurations, metrics and deliverables are subject to the product version and the contract.